


a christmas miracle

by nsykdk



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Gifts, M/M, Pining, Stars, falling asleep on shoulders, hand holding, like literal stars yeah, sleepy hokuto, subaru crushing on hokke is actually the cutest thing, subaru knows a little about stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21972136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nsykdk/pseuds/nsykdk
Summary: Trickstar gives each other gifts.One is just a tad bit special.
Relationships: Akehoshi Subaru/Hidaka Hokuto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	a christmas miracle

**Author's Note:**

> HA! IT'S ME AGAIN! With two fics in one day!  
> I couldn't get over the fact that I wanted not only Hokuto pining, I wanted Subaru pining too!  
> And because it's Christmas, I had to write _something_ about Trickstar giving each other presents...
> 
> I was really inspired by user [miiniwa's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miiniwa/pseuds/miiniwa) myriad of subahokke fics and I can't pinpoint just one inspiration for AO3 because they're all so beautiful! (so what I'm saying is PLEASE read them all)
> 
> please enjoy subaru being hopelessly in love

"Woah! Is that the new console...?" Makoto's eyes sparkle as he tears off the sparkly star-patterned wrapping paper (Hokuto had finally given in and bought it for Subaru after he had practically dragged the little group back to the gift store for the third time) to reveal a shiny box. "You guys actually got it for me?"

"Mm, mm," Mao says. He's holding the little photo album that Subaru had spent hours sticking stars on, filled with little snippets and memories each had contributed. "Look inside, too!"

Makoto almost tips the box's contents all out at once in his excitement. "Wah! Isn't that the limited console version of the fighting game Eden was in?"

"The console, Ukki," Subaru pitches in, impatient, "look at it!"

Even Hokuto smiles a little wider when Makoto tips out the console and sees the logo imprinted on the back.

"There's even four matching controllers!" With a grin, Makoto shows them off, grabbing the green one for himself. "Heh, we gotta try this game out later!"

"All right, Subaru, you're up next!" Mao passes over the third gift; a mysterious little sphere.

A rush of excitement floods through Subaru. "Oh! Yeah! I wanna see what's inside!"

There's a small nervousness to Hokuto's eyes as he receives the gift, and he's sure Makoto and Mao don't see the way Hokuto bites his lip that Subaru finds absolutely adorable.

"All right, I'm opening it!" Subaru puts on a smile, and almost rips the wrapping to pieces in his excitement. "Woah! What is this?"

It's a ball. A hollow little ball, drilled with tiny, tiny holes. Subaru turns it over, and there's a bigger hole, just big enough for two or three fingers.

"It's-" and when Subaru looks over, he swears he sees Hokuto blush, just a bit, so that the tips of his ears are pink, "it's a miniature planetarium."

"Wow, Hidaka-kun, when you said you were going to make it, I didn't think it'd look that good," Makoto muses. Subaru's heart flutters. It's not every day that Hokuto makes gifts for anyone.

Subaru remembers seeing the dark circles under his eyes, and the multitude of band-aids on his fingers, feeling very concerned, and it all makes sense now, why Hokuto wouldn't tell him why he looked so tired.

"Yuuki and Isara helped too, s-so it wasn't just me," Hokuto explains, a little defensive. Subaru isn't sure if it's just his imagination, or if his cheeks are just that bit pink.

"How does it work?" Subaru scoots over next to Mao, because somehow the thought of sitting next to Hokuto sends a swarm of butterflies through his stomach. "Tell me, tell me!"

But Hokuto leans over, anyway, just as Makoto switches off the lights. "Akehoshi, do you have a torch?"

"I-I have one on my phone?" It comes out kind of breathless, because once his eyes adjust to the dark and the little glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on the wall of his room start working their magic, he realises Hokuto is right there in front of him and almost drops his phone on the boy's foot.

"Here, can I have it?" Hokuto fumbles for it in the darkness, setting off little sparks of electricity where their hands touch, and finally, switching on the torch. Someone puts the little sphere onto the torch, and-

"Oooh!" The room lights up, and little gasps of wonder echo in the darkness. All around Subaru are little pinpricks of light, scattered into constellations. It's so beautiful that Subaru is almost shocked speechless.

He recognises the stars his father once taught him, because he'd begged to know their names. He spots the hunter, Orion, and the bull, Taurus; the two dogs beside him, Canis Major and Canis Minor- and over there, Perseus, the hunter, beside the vain Cassiopeia-

And of course, the pathway to the North Star, Polaris: _Hokuto_ , the Big Dipper.

When Subaru glances over, Hokuto is smiling, too, but just up at the makeshift stars; the light sparkling in his deep blue eyes. For a moment, Subaru gazes, letting the darkness conceal the lightness in his heart, the rosy dusting that covers his cheeks, the tender smile that bubbles up unwillingly from some warm feeling within. (Somehow, Subaru just wants to keep looking at Hokuto, but-)

The lights eventually find themselves back on, and Subaru almost launches himself at Hokuto through the starry mess of wrapping paper.

"Hokke! Thank yooouuu!" He crashes into the other boy, knocking him to the ground with a yell.

"You're gonna kill him, Akehoshi-kun," Makoto cries, but Hokuto just laughs it off, patting down Subaru's ruffled hair.

For a moment, Subaru just lies there comfortably, realising he can hear Hokuto's heartbeat, and just committing it to memory - before Hokuto gently gets up and Subaru returns to his position beside him instead.

"Here, Hokuto." Mao passes down a wrapped cylinder. "This one's yours."

"Who wrapped this?" Amused, Hokuto holds up the first layer of wrapping to reveal- yet another layer, this one all crinkled up. "Akehoshi?"

Subaru laughs. "Well...I guess that's why Sari did it again?"

"...What is this. Is this supposed to be konpeito?" Hokuto shakes the now unwrapped jar, filled with multicoloured candies. A multitude of nods echo around the room.

"You know, none of us are really that good at making candy..." Mao grins, almost sheepishly, but Hokuto's already popping one into his mouth. A gentle, satisfied smile appears almost immediately, and Hokuto offers the jar around.

"I want an orange one, Hokke! An orange one!" Subaru grabs a piece eagerly, and Hokuto even gives him a second. "Yay!"  
  


* * *

  
"No fair! Why is Hokke so good at this game?!" Subaru pouts as his character falls to the ground, and a crown appears over Hokuto's.

"I told you, Akehoshi, if you stop using skills every time they come up you'll be able to heal yourself when your health is low." Hokuto points at the screen, where the next battle between Makoto and Mao is starting. "See what Yuuki is doing?"

"But it's sparkly when my character uses a skill," Subaru mutters through his pout.

An arm gently snakes around Subaru's shoulder, and he yelps as Hokuto ruffles his hair. But when Subaru looks to the boy beside him, he's met with a warm smile that melts him to the core, and Subaru just prays that Hokuto can't see how red his cheeks are from just the dim light of the game on the television.

...Perhaps it's the Christmas mood that's making the calm and serious Hokuto so festive.

Hokuto's arm soon disappears, and although Subaru misses, very dearly, the warmth of Hokuto's touch and the little giddy feeling that bubbles in his chest, the laughter continues on into the night.

It's not long before Subaru feels a weight on his shoulder - but before he can fully comprehend it, the only thing that remains is a soft, barely audible gasp from Hokuto beside him as Subaru takes the chance to land a critical hit on his skill. And finally, when the little crown rests on Subaru's character, he swears he sees Hokuto's eyes droop amongst the cheers from Makoto and Mao.

He feels it again, a few minutes later, and this time he's fast enough to notice Hokuto's eyes fluttering open in panic and the little warmth that buds inside him.

"Sorry, Akehoshi," Hokuto says, but the yawn that follows is much less convincing. "I'm going to brush my teeth."

(It's a bit lonely, without Hokuto's warmth by his side, and, when Subaru thinks about it, he does quite like the feeling of Hokuto falling asleep on his shoulder. After a few minutes, Hokuto comes back, smelling minty and fresh, and Subaru decides he likes that as well.)

Hokuto really does fall asleep, while watching Makoto and Subaru race in a minigame. They declare it a night after that, but while the others start packing away things, Subaru just doesn't have the heart to wake Hokuto up from his shoulder.

What Subaru does do is pry the controller from Hokuto's hands.

Or, well, he tries to, because as soon as he has the controller in one hand, Hokuto's cold fingers latch on to Subaru's other palm and close around it.

Subaru instantly feels the warmth rushing to his cheeks, everything else in his mind going blank- and the world just seems to shrink down to Hokuto's fingers tangled in his, and the weight of his head on Subaru's shoulder. The pounding of his heart is so obvious, now, and he's sure with how loud it is, Hokuto could probably hear it if he weren't asleep. He wants to stay like this, to capture this moment forever. Perhaps, he could even get the courage to voice his feelings for Hokuto right now, right here while-

And it just has to be this moment that Makoto - or whoever's in the bathroom - drops their cup in the sink with a clatter.

Hokuto jolts awake, all of his usual composed attitude gone as red blooms on his cheeks, his eyes darting everywhere except for Subaru. Wordlessly, he releases Subaru's hand to bring his own up to hide his blush.

"S-sorry." Subaru quickly picks up the forgotten controller and puts it beside the other three, then rushes to the bathroom with the excuse of brushing teeth to hide his own equally red cheeks. His hand, where Hokuto had touched it, tingles, like little sparks of electricity.

When he comes back, face washed and smelling a tad bit more minty, Hokuto's lying on a bed of blankets, flicking through his phone, eyes all droopy and half-open. The other two are already comfortable - so he clicks off the lights, buries into the blankets, and just allows his gaze to wander. Soft whispers of "goodnight" and yawns fill the little gaps between tired bodies, and soon, Subaru is met with a comfortable silence.

Sleeping over like this isn't even out of the ordinary, but somehow, it just feels a little special, as Subaru rests his eyes on Hokuto's peacefully sleeping form.

He thinks about the gift, the little planetarium perched on his drawer. And- it's a beautiful gift, and he adores it to the moon and back, and he wonders if Hokuto had known exactly that he'd love it so much, just as much as the person who'd made it.

But he can't find the courage to say it, so he says it in his mind, _I like you, Hokke_ ; and a million little bubbles of happiness burst inside him.

Ah, perhaps, one day, he'll get the courage.

But not today.

**Author's Note:**

> hokke smiling tenderly at subaru while ruffling his hair  
> HOKKE SMILING TENDERLY AT SUBARU WHILE RUFFLING HIS HAIR breathe if you agree
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/starriestsmile) *breathes*


End file.
